Cleaning-Success.com

Hiring Tips From A Cleaning Business Owner

One of our members shared the following strategies he uses to hire new employees:

My partner and I have been working with a business coach and he has helped us build a system for hiring.  What we do is advertise a job posting with a link to our website that has a detailed -- and I mean detailed -- job description.  It also breaks down how they get paid.  We start at $9 per hour and give a $1 raise and up to a $200 sign on bonus after a 90 day probation and evaluation.  The job description also tells them how to apply, which for us is by email only.  They have to use a job code in the subject heading of their email.  This helps us fish out the people that can't follow directions!  If they don't use the job description in the subject line, it's the delete button for them!

We then save the emails that we like and call them for a phone interview.  We use a spreadsheet that has about 8 questions that we ask.  They are open ended questions, such as:

• 'What do you find attractive about this position?'
  
• 'Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with a co-worker?
  
• 'What did you do to handle the situation?' 
  

We then grade their answers from 1-5; 5 being the best answer.  We make all the calls at the same time and then look at the total scores for the phone-interviews.  The ones with the highest scores are then called back and we set up an in-person interview.  The in-person interview is just to meet them and make sure their appearance is good, that they have good grooming habits, and to make sure they have an upbeat, good attitude.

We then hire the person we like most.

This has really helped us build a great team that works well with each other.  We still have some turnover, but it has greatly improved.  We keep on about 2 out of 3 people hired this way.  Also, making them jump through a few hoops to get the job lets us know they are serious about the job.  You don't want to hire people that want to 'get one over' on the government or whoever.  That means they'll do it to you too!

For more information about hiring and human resource topics, be sure to visit The Happy Cleaner Blog!

How To Stop The Sales Pitch When Selling Cleaning Services

Many cleaning companies market their services by picking up the phone and calling prospects. It can be a challenging way to grow your business, especially if you give the prospective customer a "sales pitch".

Here are some tips for stopping the sales pitch:

1. Start a conversation. Instead of starting off with information about you, your company and what you have to offer, think about ways you can approach a specific problem the prospect may have. You might say something like, "I'm calling to see if you might be open to some different ideas on how to save money in your cleaning budget by changing the frequency of cleaning tasks without losing the quality of cleaning."

2. Don't think about closing the sale right off the bat. Instead, concentrate on the problems your prospect has and how you can help them. If you can get a dialogue going on the issues they are dealing with, you've got their attention and can then suggest a meeting to discuss things further. Worry about closing the sale at that meeting, not on this phone call.

3. Don't defend your service. When a prospects ask why they should do business with you over your competition, the inclination is to start defending your service because you're trying to convince them to buy. Instead, suggest that you are not going to try and convince them that they should do business with you because that would just put more pressure on them. Gently change the conversation by asking them questions about their problems and then explore how your company might be able to help them.

4. If you are not having any success, put some thought into where in the process you lost them. Most people lose the prospect right off the bat with their opening statements. If you are saying something like, "we have the solution you need", or other "salesy" phrases, chances are you'll never gain the trust of the prospect. That's because sales pitches don't feel honest to people so they'll think you are not sincere about helping them with their problems.

If you want to sell your cleaning services by phone, give these 4 tips some thought so you can "stop the sales pitch".

Are You Holding On To Old Marketing Methods That No Longer Work For Your Cleaning Business?

At the end of the year most business owners take a look back  and think about how they will improve things for the upcoming year. When it comes to marketing, we usually try to come up with lots of new ways to market our business next year.

This year, I propose you not only think about the new ways to market your business, but give some thought to what you've done in the past. Some of the  marketing activities may work great for you and you should continue to do those. But some may not be working so well, so it's time to stop doing those activities.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when it comes to deciding what marketing methods are no longer working.

1. Does this marketing method still bring in new business? (Yes? Great! Keep doing it!)

2. Does this marketing method attract clients who make you roll your eyes? (Why continue marketing to people you don't enjoy working with?)

3. Does this marketing method take so much time and energy that you don't have time to plan something new? (Don't use up all your time on one activity)

4. Does this marketing method make you tired or irritable just thinking about it? (Marketing should be fun!)

5. Is this a marketing activity that used to be fun but now feels like work? (See #4 - Marketing should be fun!)

Sometimes it's easier to keep doing what we've always done. But if there are certain methods of marketing that are no longer working, that drain your energy and aren't any fun; then it's time to let it go.

If you stop doing the things that drain your battery and don't work, it frees up time and energy you can devote to trying something new and reaping the rewards of your efforts.

A Marketing Lesson. Can You Get People To Do What They Don't Want To Do?

Sometimes it's hard to get people to buy cleaning services. They really don't want to have to spend the money to have their home or business cleaned! So how do you get them to do what they don't want to do? Think outside the box when it comes to marketing!

This video is a great example of thinking outside the box. Most people will take the escalator rather than walking the stairs. So the challenge here was to figure out a way to get people to take the stairs rather than the escalator -- and it worked!

What creative ideas do you have for getting people to buy your cleaning services? Please post your responses by clicking on the Comments link below.

Do You Market Your Office Cleaning Business By Measuring?

What does marketing your cleaning business have to do with measuring? To be honest, not a whole lot! But you may be surprised at the response you'll receive from prospective customers when you walk through their space taking measurements.

Many people have never experienced a walk-through with a cleaning company owner who actually measured their carpet and hard floor surfaces. When you do a walk-through with a prospect, ask if they mind if you take some measurements. Some will ask why, and this is where the marketing comes in. Now is your opportunity to stand apart from your competition and show the added value of using your cleaning company.

When a prospect asks why you want to measure, explain that in order to give a custom proposal  for their specific needs, you need to gather information about their space. This will help you determine how much time it will take to clean, and the process is known as workloading. Some of the information you'll need to know is how much carpet they have, how much hard floor surface, the type of flooring, how many toilets, how many sinks, etc.

You'll find many people will be impressed with this standard procedure that every cleaning business owner should do. They may even comment that no one has ever taken the time to measure, much less take such thorough notes!

Have you ever had a prospective customer comment that they've never had anyone measure their building before? Did you get the account? Share your thoughts by clicking on the Comments link below.

Are You Stifling The Growth Of Your Cleaning Business By Reacting To Problems?

Many cleaning business owners desperately want to grow their business and they do a great job of focusing on marketing when they're just getting started. But once they start gaining new clients they realize that they now have to manage the business too! Pretty soon the business isn't growing at the same rate it was at the beginning.

The problem is, they skipped an important step in setting up their business. They went from marketing to cleaning without giving much thought to what kind of systems they should put into place to make things run smoothly. The result is that they spend most of their day reacting to problems that come up because no one knows what procedures to use for any given task in the business.

For example, you hire a new employee to clean, and you spend a day or two showing them what you want them to do. Then a week later you get a call from a customer wanting to know why a trash can was missed and why there are crumbs on the floor near the kitchen sink. Or perhaps you hired an office worker to answer phones and then get upset because she didn't write down a prospective client's contact information so you could follow up with a phone call.

The underlying problem is not that you have incompetent people, it's that you didn't put into writing the system they should use for doing their job. As a result, you start having a hard time growing the business because you are focused on solving problems, not growing the business and making a profit.

Start analyzing the decisions you are making each day. If you discover that those decisions are problem-solving decisions, you are reacting to day-to-day problems. Also, if you find you are continually having to solve the same problems over and over again, it's a clue that you should create a system around that problem so your employees can handle it themselves and avoid it occurring again.

If you want to stop stifling the growth of your cleaning company, you need to start weighing each decision you make by deciding if it will be profitable for the business. These decisions should be directly related to growing your business and making a profit -- NOT putting out fires.

What Do You Give to Cleaning Prospects When Meeting For The First Time?

One of our members shared the following:

Some of the customers we have gained have commented on our presentation at the initial meeting. They said it was "unique" and different. I guess I never really thought of doing it any other way.

For every initial meeting, we bring a packet/folder of info for them to look through during the walk through. Some of our clients have said it made us "look" more professional than the other companies who just gave them a price and left.

In that packet, we have the following:

-an intro letter that tells about us and who we are
-a copy of our insurance certificate
-a copy of a W-9 form
-two copies of the contract - one for us and one for them, once both are signed
-a walk-through checklist
-a specifications sheet
-a follow-up checklist (that we leave after every cleaning)
-a stamped/addressed feedback postcard that we ask them to send after service begins
-several business cards
-a copy of our policies (that cover payments, lockout, reschedules, cancellations, etc)
-a brochure that covers our referral bonus program and the "extra" services we offer

It may seem like a small thing, but our customers have told me that it made us stand out as the more "Professional Business" and that's why they chose our service!

What do YOU do to make yourself memorable in the prospect's eyes? Share your thoughts by clicking on the Comments link below.

Introducing The Happy Cleaner Blog!

We recently conducted a survey of all our newsletter subscribers to find out more information about how they're handling Human Resources issues. Some of you might have taken the survey and we'd like to thank you!

We received a lot of feedback asking for more specific information on these issues so we've created a blog specifically for cleaning company owners who would like more support and information on this topic.

Please head over and visit the new blog to see the survey results. And be sure to sign up for email updates!

The Happy Cleaner Blog

Do I Stay In The Cleaning Business Or Do I Quit?

The past year has been tough on a lot of people, including cleaning business owners. Many are simply shutting the doors to their business because they're losing clients faster than they can obtain new ones. The good news is that many cleaning company owners are actually growing their business despite the odds against them!

Recently a cleaning business owner asked for advice because she's fearful of the growth of her business. She has the opportunity to go back to her old job and she's seriously considering it. She asked, "Do I abandon my growing cleaning business to accept a job in my old profession (with all of the same old headaches) or, do I take on new headaches that will come with moving forward to fully grow my current business and hire an employee?"

A couple people offered encouraging advice:

1. Do you prefer working for yourself or for someone else? Which one gives you the most pleasure, makes you happy, gives you freedom and control? Anything we want bad enough is worth working for and working through the headaches.

2. You have to ask yourself several questions first. Then, the answer to those questions will drive your pursuits. If you want to be in business for yourself and don't want to return to your old job, then I recommend you stay in the business and look for ways to grow. There are incredible opportunities for growth in the cleaning industry. Hiring and training and growing and expanding your cleaning business can be rewarding and lucrative. But it can also be fraught with headaches and frustration as any business can be. Your vision and your dreams for this business need to be the driving factor.

What advice do YOU have on whether or not she should stay in the cleaning business or quit? Click on the Comments link below to share your thoughts.

Are Your Cleaning Supervisors Too "Nit-Picky"?

A cleaning business owner is having a supervisor problem.

"We have a supervisor that the employees say is toooo nit picky. He takes the job personally and gets upset about little issues. He inspects all day long and the employees feel he is being petty."

The following advice was offered:

Have you done any follow up on the employees who are doing the complaining? I would inspect their work myself and then check your supervisor's reports. If there is consistency with what you're observing and what your supervisor is observing then you've likely got a problem with the employee.

One thing you also need to keep in mind with supervisors is that they sometimes get so wrapped up in looking for things that got missed that they forget to look at the big picture and look for the positive things that are going on. People get tired of always being told they're doing things wrong. Eventually their morale goes down and they just don't care any more. Make it a point to remind your supervisors to give as many compliments as criticisms. In fact, I would make it a rule that for every negative, give two positives.

I would also watch your supervisors to see how they talk to the employees. Are they approaching them, telling them everything they do wrong and then leave? It's better to approach the employee and say something like, "Hi Sue, you do such a good job on the restroom cleaning, but there's just one thing I've noticed that you often forget to do. Please watch the spots that appear on the lower part of the mirror. When people wash their hands, water always splashes up. Sometimes you need to bend down and look at that area to actually see the spots. Mrs. Smith, the building manager mentioned this to me so I'd appreciate it if you'd keep a closer eye on that."

Here is some additional comments from another cleaning business owner:

Hummmmm, my first thought was - "isn't it his job to be picky?!?" I mean after all.... I expect that my supervisors be as picky if not more than my most picky customer. If they are anything less, then they are not doing their job properly.

Btw - my second thought was "So are the persons who are crying loudest about the supervisor being picky the same persons who he is asking to correct problems?" If so there in lies the problem As long as you are clear about your required/ desired results then allow him to do his job and back him up. 

Care to offer your opinion? Click on the Comments link below to add your thoughts.